After an intense day of battle royale competition, the Duo of Nina ‘ilyynina’ Fernandez and Vader won the second annual Milk Cup.
Milk Cup is the largest all-female Fortnite tournament in the world, boasting a $300K prize pool and a high-end production of the competition at TwitchCon San Diego. During a year full of hardship for women in esports, the Milk Cup has become a beacon of hope for young women that want to thrive in the scene.
“[Our win at Milk Cup] shows you can be your true self and not be apologetic about it,” Vader said in a press panel after the victory. “There are spaces for everybody, so never give up.”
Vader and Nina went into the Milk Cup feeling surprisingly confident. After a season of ups and downs, the Duo felt that nobody really had faith in them or saw them as the winners. But they saw the Milk Cup as a chance to prove people wrong.
“We went with great vibes, good mental,” Nina said. “We told ourselves, ‘This is the easiest tournament for us, we will win this no matter what it takes.'”
While the Championship was a bit rocky at first, Vader and Nina felt especially confident after game four of six. After that, the Duo felt locked in and had no more nerves. They weren’t worried about other teams. They were focused only on themselves.
Even the crowd seemed to slip away. Competing at a massive LAN with a big audience in front of them was nerve-racking at first, but it soon became another form of motivation. As the largest event of the year, they knew they had to give it everything they had. The people watching at TwitchCon gave them another reason to win.
Confidence Was Key in Getting the Victory at Milk Cup 2025
Going into the Milk Cup this year, the top Duos were all quite familiar with one another. In fact, some used to play Trios together before the format changed. Every team has its own strategy and strengths, which have been formed over the past season by competing against one another and feeling more confident as time went on.
Said Vader: “This year, one of the things we’ve been working on as a Duo is having more confidence going for riskier plays. We went for high ground a lot more, fought when we had to. Last time, we didn’t take that risk.”
Indeed, there were plenty of insane moments where the Duo seemed to have a take-charge attitude, even taking on the most aggressive Duo in the competition — Jaya ‘Fraanticc‘ and Kanary — for the win.
Last year, Vader and Nina took second place, looking like a shoe-in for next year’s Championship. However, they started off the 2025 season quite shaky, which made the Duo feel like the Fortnite community had lost faith in them. During the press conference, Nina especially felt people had been rooting against her this season.
She said of the win: “I needed this all year. I proved so many people wrong. I woke up and knew I’d win. People didn’t believe in me, but I never gave up. The confidence was there.”
But maybe those people who lost faith in her were really just herself this whole time. When she lifted the trophy on stage with Vader, she noticed how many people were cheering for them. Nina was then awarded MVP for her mechanical skills, which further boosted her confidence. The community was with her.
“It felt crazy to lift that trophy,” added Vader, “to prove people wrong in a sense, and really show that anybody can participate in esports. Don’t let people stop you. Don’t let comments get to your head. Believe in yourself.”
The Milk Cup has been a way for young female Fortnite players to hone their talents, of course, but it’s been much more than that. It’s become a safe space. A place to make friends. A place to feel supported. The close friendships, mentorships, and S-tier experiences have made the women competing in the Milk Cup realize they truly belong in esports.
While a lot of esports tournaments and scenes have been toxic, especially to female players, the Milk Cup has been their chance to compete without fear holding them.
“Placing in the Milk Cup gave us the confidence and place to really improve our individual skills and teamwork,” Vader said to Esports Insider. “Now we can do even better in FNCS, using the skills that were nourished here.”
And that’s the thing: many of the women competing in the Milk Cup have been given the safe and supportive experience needed to build the confidence needed to compete in the Fortnite Championship Series. Nina added that making it to the FNCS is a big goal in her life — a goal that the Milk Cup has made possible.
But first, nothing wrong with basking in the glory of a hard-earned victory.
“I’ve dreamt about this day since I was 10 and started playing Fortnite,” Nina said. “It’s a dream come true.”
